Letter D-Dinos and more

Rug time-Introduce our letter D and what sound it makes.We are learning about our days of the week.O found this cute song set to the tune of the Adams Family to remember the days of the week.confessionsofahomeschooler.com

 

We stomped like dinosaurs all the way to our Dino den(bunk bed with a blanket over it) and read about dinosaurs.Then we had an egg hunt.There was 4 of them to introduce the number 4.There were little treats inside too!The kids even hid them for Mommy.

 

Next was Domino drop.You get a container or bowl and have them stand over it to see how many they can get into the bowl. Then I got spoons and other bowls and more game pieces and my daughter said "thanks for entertaining us Mom.This should keep us busy." I think kids are way more perceptive then we think.They poured and they mixed.

 

How to find balance during the Holidays

The holidays can be stressful and busy.But what if I told you that it will be busy but not stressful? If you haven't done already you need to make a holiday emergency plan.Write everything down,every event,party,people you need to give gifts to and what you want to get them.Check your lights and stock up on all the essentials now!Of course don"t forget a budget and to breathe.I have been away for a while and my happiness has been put on the back burner for quite some time now.First with a rough first trimester,then with us moving to a new house and trying to get our house sold.It has been a whirlwind.But I can't think of a better time to re-evaluate where we are in our blueprint.We can start over or simply adjust what we already have.If we can"t find the peace and balance we are looking for at any time in our life,then the holidays are going to swallow us whole and make us more frazzled then we already are.

So first take some time and make your plan for the holidays the more detailed the better.Especially if you are throwing a party.You want to give yourself plenty of time to prepare.I have started re-connecting with myself.I try to find quiet moments where I can think,meditate and just breathe.I feel with the move that I have a new start to make my house calm and clutter free.So after you have written your list I want you to do something kind to yourself.This time of year is a wonderful time to get caught up in the spirit of giving,service and gratitude.These don't come in fancy boxes or the perfect present.These come from the quiet whispering of our heart.Some of you may raise a few eyebrows but take this time to give back,to make those changes and to slow down!

If you are just joining me and haven't started on your own blueprint.The first step to writing our blueprints is getting all our negative thoughts on paper.Then writing positives for those negatives.Then we use that list to make our goals.Each week is a new goal.Break larger goals into smaller ones.Another important part of my program is to be kind and reward yourself.Take all the little moments of the day and be in the moment.Most important is to take deep breaths and do it on purpose.Schedule times to have these breaks and breathe until it becomes a habit and you find what works for you.It is meant to recharge you and help you find what is or is not working.You can do these steps over and over in any aspect of your life to achieve the balance you are looking for.I hope we all have a more meaningful and peaceful holiday.

Letter C- Cars

I decided to buy those baths paints to see if I would like them.They were a big hit plus its soap so if it spills you just wipe it up and your done!


Rowen's favorite thing in the whole world are his cars!We dumped all the cars in and the kids mixed, and drove the cars through it..You can even give them a bath when they are done.Just make sure you stay with them so there is no slipping and sliding because it is slippery.






We added sponges to make a little car wash.




Next was snack time.We traces the letter C and cut out this cute car craft I got from first-school.ws/t/ap2/car.html






I used the crackers from their snack for the wheels of the car.


We also talked about the number 3 and square.I read the story of the 3 little pigs.I found these cute printouts for them to act out their own story. http://www.activity-mom.com/2012/09/three-little-pigs.html
We talked about the buildings and how they were square.










My littlest connected the dot with Mom to make a square.I encouraged Lexi  to make something out of her square and here is what she came up with!

Day 2

We did more 3 little pigs and play-d'oh..We also looked around the room for squares and I made my letter C box.In it was a crocodile,car, and clothes pin and other items.



Also I downloaded this cute file folder game from 1plus1plus1equals1.net
I just put it in plastic sheets for now but on this site they have a ton of lap books and letter of the week activities!Maybe I will make one soon!

Letter B-Its a teddy bear picnic!

The next few posts are going to be a lot of catching up since I have not been able to blog for a while with pictures and everything.I wanted to start off by saying what I usually do to start things off.I always have rug time.First we talk about the month,the day and the weather.We review our letters either by sound or sing the ABC's.This week we started off with rug time.On Fridays or Mondays I like to go to the library.

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The kids got a ton of books! We got many books on Bears.The kids sat on the blanket and picked out their bears.We compared size,color and talked about the different bears.Then we talked about what they eat.We had teddy grahms and grapes which we pretended were berries.Then the kids handed me book after book.We probably read for a half an hour!

We of course talked about B and the sound it makes.We traced the foam letter and wrote it in the air.Then we had some music and movement.They loved the Teddy Bear Picnic song.We played Head Shoulders Knees and Toes,Ring around the Rosie which they held their bears for.

Then Lex practiced her uppercase and lower case b.While my teeny tot practiced lines and tracing.

After recess I introduced blue which starts with the letter B Lex exclaimed!We looked for blue things around the house.We found the blue crayon.Then I introduced the number 2.We talked about pairs and found many on our own bodies,including feet,eyes,ears,hands and so on.We then practiced writing our twos .Ro drew a circle.Yay!We went back to rug time where I introduced our theme for the Month which is Change.There is a lot of leave color changing happening right now.We also talked about how they have changed and grown.They are taller and grown out of clothes.We measure their height.

Kids hibernating in their cave

We did a fun fingerplay about a bear in his cave.Then the kids crawled on all fours and looked for food.I announced it was winter and they crawled in their cave  to hibernate.They really liked this game and played it for a while.

Day 2:

We had a very special breakfast this morning.I got the idea  from learnwithplayathome.com They turned out really cute i think and the kids loved the pancakes with pumpkin in it to bring in the fall tastes

We played memory to practice number 2.

I prepared a box of items some that started with the letter B and some without.Their job was to find the ones that started with the letter B.Then the kid's imagination really took off!Lexi put on the belt as a necklace and the sunglasses

She took the baby and was her Mom.She read the bat book.

Ro played in the boxes and tried a few things on.The box became a car and we had to get more boxes so everyone would have a car. 

Lexi got the play food and went shopping.I have learned to have structure but to allow them to take an activity where they want it to go.This was one of those times.Who knew that these items would entertain them for so long.They played the rest of the time.You can't plan those kinds of memories!

I am still here!

3 more months to go and the baby will be here! That isn't the only crazy part of our lives.These last few months have been like a whirlwind.We r now moved in but trying to sell our other house and unpack this one! To top it all I have lost my internet so it is rare that I get to blog.So sad.I miss it and all of you who suported me.I will do my best but my phone internet is not so good.I have started preschool again and we did the letter B .I am going to try to use my phone but we will see.I have so many great ideas I want to share I also want to make sure you guys are still breathing.